Courses and Seminars
The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of 24 course credits, which:
must include at least six 3-cr or 4-cr courses (two 2-cr reduced-load courses are counted as the equivalent of one 4-cr course), and
may include 1-cr CHEM 8066 ethics course and up to 1 credit of S/N-graded seminar (typically Chem 8601).
English language proficiency courses do not count towards the 24 credits.
All CHEM courses must be at the graduate level (5xxx or 8xxx), but up to two 4xxx courses from another department at UMN are allowed with approval from the Director of Graduate Studies. Courses from other departments at the 5xxx level may be appropriate but registration for such courses should occur only after consultation with either your advisor or Three-Member Committee.
If a student desires that graduate courses taken at other universities count toward the minimum number of credits for a Ph.D. in chemistry, this may be requested by including the courses on the Graduate Degree Program Form. In such cases the Graduate Degree Program Form should be accompanied by a recommendation from the TMC advising the DGS on the appropriateness of the proposed transfer(s).
Ethics Course: All graduate students must take CHEM 8066 (Professional Conduct of Chemical Research) during the Spring Term of their first year in residence.
Seminar Course: Seminars by leading researchers from other universities and from government and industrial laboratories are given in the Chemistry department approximately weekly throughout the academic year. This experience has intrinsic value, and questions about seminars sometimes occur in oral preliminary examinations. Many students also frequently find research seminars in other departments (e.g., Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Physics, Biochemistry, or Pharmacy) to be of interest.
All first year students must register for Chemistry 8601 on an S/N basis during both Fall and Spring terms. Students must attend the required number of seminars to receive a satisfactory (S) grade in CHEM 8601.
Exceptions:
Students who have a conflict between CHEM 8601 and a TA assignment, must attend seminar the following semester and are encouraged to register for CHEM 8601 at that time.
Students who reach the maximum number of course credits due to an ESLrequirement should attend seminars but will be required to register for CHEM 8601 in a later semester.
Students should carefully consider which courses prepare them best for their graduate research and professional career. The following tables give an overview of courses taught in the department, along with a selection of other relevant courses. On the right hand side of the table, the dark and light grey boxes indicate courses that may be considered to be useful for students with an interest in traditional fields of study. Note, however, that these labels are not binding and are only given as guidance. They should not distract from the fact that modern research in chemistry is very interdisciplinary and that the most appropriate selection of courses depends heavily on each student’s research interests. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss course choices with their three member committee and (if applicable) with their advisor(s).
Transfer Credit Course Allowances
M.S. track: Up to 40% of total degree program credits can be used in any combination of the above categories of courses.
Ph.D. track: Up to 12 credits of courses taken through the continuing education program or through graduate programs at other institutions may be submitted for consideration for transfer credit. Such credit transfers are usually only approved if the language of instruction was English and if the student can provide syllabi, lecture notes, and exams for review by the TMC. Discussion and agreement about the appropriateness of the transfer credits with that committee should be followed by a written recommendation to the Director of Graduate Studies and approved by at least two-thirds of the TMC. The agreed upon courses should be included on the Graduate Degree Program Form for ultimate approval by the DGS who will normally follow the recommendation of the TMC.
Graduate Degree Plan Form
The GPAS (Graduate Planning & Audit System) must be filed in the Fall term of the second year in residence. This form lists all of the coursework that will apply toward the Ph.D., and it informs the Graduate School as to the names of the Oral Preliminary Exam committee members. In addition, students will submit a GPAS at the same time for a M.S. – Plan B degree, which will be attempted concurrently with the Ph.D. preliminary exams.
It is sometimes the case that not all Ph.D. coursework has been completed when the form is filed and this is perfectly acceptable. Remaining courses should be identified. If there are changes in the course program after the form has been filed, it is necessary to file a change to the Graduate Degree Program Form with the Graduate School.
Thesis Credits
Once a student has passed the oral preliminary exam, the student should begin taking the required 24 Ph.D. thesis credits (CHEM 8888) during the next term. These credits can be divided up as needed, provided that all 24 are completed over the course of the next two terms. It is also possible that a faculty research advisor would choose to have a student take these credits during a summer term.